Impact Conversations

In this conversation with Tonya Surman, CEO of the Centre for Social Innovation, or CSI, we hear about the effect of COVID on their core social purpose coworking space and significant strategic changes happening at CSI.  We see the value of CSi (and other nonprofits) owning real estate, unpack SI Canada's new role, learn about their leadership on an Impact Dashboard with a Common Approach, and a pilot social enterprise in Muskoka for healing, connection and learning for impact leaders…and much more.   Resources  Tonya Surman : https://socialinnovation.org/team/tonya-surman/   Centre for Social Innovation (CSI): https://socialinnovation.org/   Social Innovation Canada (SI Canada): https://sicanada.org/   CSI Community Living Room, Regent Park: https://socialinnovation.org/space/locations/community-living-room/   TechSoup Canada : https://socialinnovation.org/about/techsoup-canada/   Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN): https://theonn.ca/   Vancity Community Investment Bank (VCIB): https://vancitycommunityinvestmentbank.ca/   Climate Ventures : https://climateventures.org/   Tapestry Community Capital: https://tapestrycapital.ca/   Wasan Island: http://www.wasan-island.de/   Breuninger Foundation: http://www.breuninger-stiftung.de/en/   Community Foundations of Canada (CFC): https://communityfoundations.ca/   McConnell Foundation: https://mcconnellfoundation.ca   Common Approach: https://www.commonapproach.org/   Adopting Common Measures with the Common Approach: https://socialinnovation.org/offering/adopting-common-measures/   Impact Dashboard: https://impactdashboard.org/       Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

How the world has changed!  There are a lot of new challenges and opportunities these days as organizations look to clarify their purpose, strategy, and evaluation of their work to create social impact in these uncertain times.  The work is more complex and challenging than it was say three years ago, the stakes are higher, and success is less certain.  In this podcast, Andrew Taylor, Co-Founder of Taylor Newberry Consulting and Lynn Fergusson, Partner at Social Impact Advisors let you in on some insights from the kind of conversations they often have to better understand the sector and how to support it.   Resources  Andrew Taylor:  https://taylornewberry.ca/our-team/andrew-taylor/   Taylor Newberry Consulting: https://taylornewberry.ca   TNC and Centre for Evaluation Innovation : https://taylornewberry.ca/what-it-takes-to-learn-during-crises-reflections/   McMaster research – Nonprofit resilience in context of COVID-19: https://resilience.degroote.mcmaster.ca/home/non-profit-resilience-in-the-context-of-covid-19/      Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

Laura Manning, Executive Director at the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation (LSHF) shares the journey and lessons learned from a bold Canadian pilot started in 2018, granting significant additional, unrestricted General Operating Support (GOS) to known grantees.  We hear about the time it takes to get boards comfortable with this approach and what's behind that. We also hear how Laura and the Foundation see advocating for this approach as part of their work, to help shift the sector.  Now issuing more than 70% of the Foundation's grants in unrestricted General Operating Support, LSHF provides insights and a framework in a Canadian context, and encouragement to Canadian funders to take a closer look at unrestricted giving as a way to enable impact.   Resources  Lyle S. Hallman Foundation: http://www.lshallmanfdn.org   General Operating Support pilot reports: http://www.lshallmanfdn.org/Pilot-Projects.htm   Laura Manning on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-manning-3b052718/ Ford Foundation Unrestricted Giving: https://www.fordfoundation.org     Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

In this episode, we talk to Paulina Cameron, a Globe and Mail '22 Changemaker and CEO of The Forum, a Vancouver-based charity teaching, mentoring and supporting women entrepreneurs across Canada to take their businesses to the next level.  We hear about the challenges and opportunities the organization and women entrepreneurs faced through COVID.  We also hear about the systemic issues women entrepreneurs face, and work The Forum is doing in both supporting women to overcome these barriers, while at the same time providing training to banks to address systemic biases.  We're encouraged to learn that more and more, younger generations of women entrepreneurs incorporate a social purpose in their business.      Resources  The Forum: https://www.theforum.ca/       Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

Our guest today is Andrea Nemtin, Executive Director of SI Canada. Sally and Andrea talk about what Social Innovation is, the history of the field in Canada, and how Social Innovation Canada (SI Canada) came to be.  Andrea talks about the priorities of the organization as our country emerges from COVID, and how solutions to the complex challenges of social justice and climate change can be catalyzed and aligned through education, intentional networking at local and national levels across all sectors, and storytelling.     Resources:   Social Innovation Canada:   https://sicanada.org  hello@sicanada.org  Post Event Check-in with our National Gathering Design Team  Igniting Local Actions for an Inclusive Economy  Andrea Nemtin LinkedIn  White Fragility Subscription Box:  https://www.edmontonshiftlab.ca/shift-lab-2-0-prototype-the-white-fragility-subscription-box/ Report: Unfunded:  https://www.forblackcommunities.org/reports/ Foundation for Black Communities:  https://www.forblackcommunities.org/ NFB film The Children of Fogo Island: https://www.nfb.ca/film/children_of_fogo_island/ SiG – Social Innovation Generation:  https://thesigstory.squarespace.com/ MaRS Discovery District https://www.marsdd.com Tonya Surman: https://socialinnovation.org/team/tonya-surman/ Darcy Riddell: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/darcy-riddell-11153a52 Alex Ryan: https://www.marsdd.com/bio/alex-ryan/ Radius: https://radiussfu.com/ Manitoba's Social Enterprise Centre: http://www.secwpg.com/ Boldness Project: https://www.winnipegboldness.ca/ Alberta's ABSI Connect: https://www.absiconnect.ca/ Quebec's MIS – Maison de l'innovation sociale: https://www.mis.quebec/ Atlantic Canada's Inspiring Communities:  http://www.secwpg.com/ Democracy Collaborative:  https://democracycollaborative.org/ Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority. https://rpra.ca/ Circular Economy Act: https://rpra.ca/the-circular-economy/ Michael MacMillan: https://www.samaracanada.com/about-us/board-of-directors The Samara Centre for Democracy:  https://www.samaracanada.com/home  . Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal .   Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

Hannah Askew started as Executive Director at Sierra Club BC in late 2018 with a mandate to bring an Indigenous lens to the work of Sierra Club BC, alongside the traditional scientific lens.  As a lawyer, prior to this role, Hannah practiced public interest environmental law and was deeply involved in learning from Indigenous communities about their systems of law and governance.      You'll hear that Hannah is a big proponent of the McConnell Foundation's Innoweave program "Impact and Strategic Clarity", which they completed in 2019.  It's how they developed a Theory of Change (see the podcast resources), building clarity around what the organization aimed to achieve and how they would do it.   While it was a difficult process, coming in as a new Executive Director and with this big change mandate, they've come through the other side and landed in a strong position to face the challenges of COVID-19.  They're able to leverage their clarity of purpose, shared values, and bonds as a team as they work remotely.  They have greater direct participation from Indigenous peoples in the work.  This clarity has also led to a stronger funding position.       Sierra Club BC's experience highlights the need to check our biases and identify things we may take for granted.  It also shows how challenging it can be to question our values, and change, but it also highlights the great value in doing so.     Resources Sierra Club BC:  https://sierraclub.bc.ca  Sierra Club BC's Theory of Change: attached Hannah Askew:  2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report: https://www.ipcc.ch/2018/10/08/summary-for-policymakers-of-ipcc-special-report-on-global-warming-of-1-5c-approved-by-governments/    Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

Sarah Midanik, Executive Director of the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund shares a message of hope, as she reflects on the important work of reconciliation requiring us all, and non-Indigenous Canadians in particular, to take action. We hear about the important work to be done to address systemic racism and how this national charity found a way, working from the ground up, to address the history not previously being told in the school  curriculum, providing tools and resources into some 6000 schools within 4 years. And that's just one example.   Resources  Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund:  https://downiewenjack.ca/   ReconciliACTIONS: https://downiewenjack.ca/our-work/reconciliactions/       Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

Selina Young, Director of the City of Toronto's first Indigenous Affairs Office speaks with us about Toronto's Reconciliation Action Plan, recently unanimously approved by Council.  We hear about the process, informed by various Indigenous community leaders, which pushed Selina and her team to revise the plan, ensuring big, bold action towards reconciliation.  It's also made clear that this plan is not for Indigenous folks to undertake, but rather actions for non-Indigenous folks to be taking, namely by the City and its some 38k people, leveraging its role as service provider, policy developer, partner, system navigator, convenor, negotiator and regulator.      Resources  City of Toronto Reconciliation Action Plan: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/accountability-operations-customer-service/long-term-vision-plans-and-strategies/reconciliation-action-plan/   Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Council (TASSC); https://www.tassc.ca/   CAMH reconciliation plan: https://www.camh.ca/en/camh-news-and-stories/camh-launches-truth-and-reconciliation-action-plan   OPG reconciliation plan: https://www.opg.com/building-strong-and-safe-communities/indigenous-relations/reconciliation-action-plan/   Yellowhead Institute: https://yellowheadinstitute.org/       Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

Veronika Berlicki, co-founder and leader of CityHive, shares how they are transforming the way young people engage in shaping their cities.  Based in Metro Vancouver, this 5-year old nonprofit has revisited its initial strategic plans, to assess the impact its been making and see what changes that might mean for the way forward. They've engaged key stakeholders along the way and had some tough conversations as a team, looking at the change they want to be making and considering the trade-offs. They've developed a Theory of Change that is not only guiding their work but providing momentum, as they aim for youth facing systemic barriers to have an increased and lasting sense of civic agency.  To really understand the youth they aim to serve and the solutions they might need to serve them, we hear about a 10-point continuum of civic agency they've created, from not really being interested in engaging around 1, to those working with their municipality to create change. They've further dug in to understand what it might take to create that sense of civic agency, uncovering things like voting at the first possible election.    All of this puts CityHive in a strong position to take action, assessing everything they take on against the impact they seek.    Resources: CityHive: https://cityhive.ca   Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

Bianca Caramento is the Manager of the Bay Area Climate Change Council, leading the collective impact initiative to advance and accelerate climate change action in the cities of Burlington and Hamilton.  She shares with us the structure behind this collective, with her "backbone" role housed in the Centre for Climate Change Management at Mohawk College, supporting a collective of 14 community organizations.     We hear about their Theory of Change – the master plan for reducing green house gases in the community by 50% by 2030, towards becoming net zero cities by 2050, and how this work was informed by data and community consultation.  We see the power of this collective, supporting the work of the cities to address climate change while holding them to account.      BACCC provides a model for catalyzing change that many seek to emulate in their own communities, be it for GHG reductions or for using a collective approach to address other local issues.      Resources  Bay Area Climate Change Council : https://bayareaclimate.ca   BACCC plan/Theory of Change: https://bayareaclimate.ca/zero-carbon/#our-plan   BACCC Regional GHG inventory: https://bayareaclimate.ca/zero-carbon/#ghg-inventory   BACCC Indigenous Collaboration Policy: https://bayareaclimate.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/BACCC-Indigenous-Collaboration-Policy.pdf   BACCC members:  Burlington Economic Development Corp  Burlington Green  Clean Air Hamilton  Conservation Halton  Environment Hamilton  Hamilton Chamber of Commerce  Hamilton Conservation Authority  Hamilton Health Sciences  Hamilton Industrial Environmental Association  Hamilton Regional Indian Centre  Sustainability Leadership  United Way Halton & Hamilton    Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

Foreseeing COVID negatively impacting women's ability to stay and thrive in the workforce, Pamela Jeffrey, Founder and lead of The Prosperity Project was concerned about the impact this would have on not just the women themselves, but Canada's prosperity.  So, she took action, focusing on women, and particularly women of equity-deserving communities, including Black, Indigenous, racialized, LGBTQ2S+, and physically challenged.      Pamela shares how this project came to be and the unique seed funding approach, with 60+ senior professional women committing to the cause – personally and financially.  She breaks down the 5-point plan laid out from the start, aligned with 5 marketable programs including a goal-focused professional volunteer program supporting charities that focus on women and girls, and a Rosie the Riveter inspired initiative to get more women and girls into skilled trades and STEM for good, well-paying jobs.   We uncover an important adjustment to the plan along the way, after recognizing a better approach to achieve their desired impact through advocacy for affordable childcare.     Resources  The Prosperity Project:  https://canadianprosperityproject.ca/   Volunteer matching program:  https://canadianprosperityproject.ca/matching    Rosie Resource Portal https://portal.canadianprosperityproject.ca/   2022 Annual Report Card on Gender Diversity and Leadership: The Zero Report:  https://canadianprosperityproject.ca/data-tracking   Pamela Jeffrey : https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelajeffery   . Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca  

The Home Depot Canada Foundation has recently revisited their role and plans by developing a Theory of Change and Strategic Plan.  We hear about the journey and results from Amy Bilodeau, Sr. Manager, Community Investment for the Home Depot Canada, a role which includes supporting the Home Depot Canada Foundation's mission to eradicate youth homelessness in Canada.  This mission has remained intact, and with a renewed commitment, with the Foundation continuing to aim higher on its fundraising goals, and then applying those significant funds for systemic change.  We hear about the importance of engaging all stakeholders in this work, from Home Depot Canada suppliers and vendors, to charities the Foundation supports, to youth who have experienced homelessness.  They've taken on a more intentional focus on serving equity-deserving populations. We also hear that it's about more than funding, and there's a great fit for Home Depot Canada to be providing skills trades experience to youth, as an act of preventing homelessness.     Resources  The Home Depot Canada Foundation: https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/corporate-information/our-community/the-home-depot-canada-foundation.html     Tradeworx: Helping youth experiencing homelessness access careers in the trades: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ptce8Knxzo&t=2s       Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

B Corp is a global movement of more than 4800 companies, with almost 400,00 employees in 79 countries around the world, all focused on making business a force for good.     Together, B Corps are working to shift our global economy from a system that profits few to one that benefits all: advancing a new model that moves from concentrating wealth to ensuring equity, from resource extraction to energy generation, and from individualism to interdependence.     We are happy to have Ian Kelly and Elaine Adema from PeaceWorks Technology Solutions, a fellow B Corp, on today's episode. PeaceWorks is an employee- owned social enterprise that provides IT Services and Support, based out of Waterloo, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are a technology company, motivated by the impact their clients are making in the world. 65% of their clients are non-profit. They have been making the benefits of technology affordable and accessible to all organizations, including those with limited resources, for more than twenty years.      In today's episode, Ian Kelly, General Manager, and Elaine Adema, Account Manager at Peaceworks, talk about what motivates them about the B Corp movement, what the certification process is like, and the evolution of new B Corp standards around the world. They talk about how employees and customers respond to and are motivated by the B Corp mission, and the hope it brings.      Resources: Peaceworks site: https://peaceworks.ca   Peaceworks B Corp certification: https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/peaceworks-technology-solutions/    About B Lab and the B Corporation movement: https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/movement/about-b-lab    . Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

Show notes:  Kara Peck, Senior Director, Strategy + Partnerships, B Lab US & Canada shares their journey to strategic clarity for their organization and for making a real difference in the world.  Leveraging a time of organizational and societal change, they have developed a Theory of Change, creating alignment around a new focus for the B Corp-certifying nonprofit, to support the business sector in taking collective action towards addressing racial equity, climate justice and stakeholder capitalism.       Resources: B Lab US/Canada Theory of Change:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og0iYy52ZjE   B Lab: https://bcorporation.net/about-b-lab   B Corp Impact Assessment: https://bcorporation.eu/certification?_ga=2.224228763.1436296932.1624646817-1194428511.1465581593   Kara Peck: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karapeck    Sweet Livity: https://www.sweetlivity.com   Revolution Foods: https://www.revolutionfoods.com   . Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

In this episode, Sally speaks with Shelley Zuckerman, who has been the Executive Director of North York Community House for the past 30 years, about her long career in the non-profit sector, how her organization has navigated the challenges of the past two years, and her advice for the next generation of leaders in the sector.      Shelley shares what makes her optimistic for the future, both for our sector and more broadly. As she nears retirement this year, Shelley reminds us about how far we have come, and shares her confidence in the next generation to go further on issues of social justice, building on strengths in community and amplifying the voices of the people the sector serves. She advises leaders to be continuously curious and learning, and to support new leaders by giving them opportunities to share and try their ideas.      North York Community House serves more than 15,000 residents in northwest Toronto every year. The help transform lives by working with people, understanding their needs, and supporting them in achieving their goals. For over 30 years, NYCH has been opening doors for new Canadians; supporting youth, parents and seniors in becoming active, engaged citizens; and creating opportunities for residents to improve their lives and lead positive change in their neighbourhoods.    Resources North York Community House: https://www.nych.ca  NYCH Twitter and Facebook: @nychonline  . Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

We're focused in this conversation on a collective approach being taken in Halton to support young people as they transition from the care of CAS, at age 18-24. Halton Region identified this as a priority area, creating a Community Safety and Wellbeing table, and it truly is a community effort. With the Oakville Community Foundation holding the backbone or coordinator role, leveraging support from the Halton Granters Table, many local youth serving organizations have come together to support youth transitioning from care to support their goals in education, employment and training. We hear from Steve Levac, Manager of Youth Services, and Jennifer McKnight, Transitional Youth Worker with Halton Children's Aid Society, about the history and journey of this collective, the results, and their hope that this is a model for systems change to be further leveraged in Halton and many other communities.    Resources  Halton CAS:  http://haltoncas.ca/   Oakville Community Foundation: https://www.theocf.org/   Halton Youth Collective Program Report : https://www.theocf.org/initiative/halton-cas-youth-initiative/   Halton Community Safety & Wellbeing Plan: https://www.halton.ca/The-Region/Projects-and-Initiatives/Community-Safety-and-Well-Being-in-Halton   Some of the participating youth-serving organizations  ADAPT: https://haltonadapt.org/   Centre for Skills Development: https://www.centreforskills.ca/   CMHA Halton: https://halton.cmha.ca/   Halton Region Housing: https://www.halton.ca/For-Residents/Housing-Supports-and-Services   HCDSB: https://www.hcdsb.org/   HDSB: https://www.hdsb.ca/Pages/Home.aspx   HIEC (Halton Industry Education Council): https://www.hiec.on.ca/   ROCK (Reach Out Centre for Kids): https://rockonline.ca/   Sheridan College: https://www.sheridancollege.ca/   STRIDE: https://stride.on.ca/   Town of Oakville: https://www.oakville.ca/   YMCA Oakville: https://ymcaofoakville.org/   Laidlaw's YouthCI: https://laidlawfdn.org/yci-projects.html       Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

In this episode, Sonia Theroux, the Executive Director of Leadnow speaks with Sally about what progressivism means, the movement, and how activists and change makers can think about and stay hopeful about the moment we are in.    Sonia is a campaigns and communications specialist, passionate about organizing and community building. She has seen the power of people talking to people about something they care about. She has led or advised on successful electoral campaigns at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. As a consultant with a digital civic tech company, she advised local governments on effective public engagement strategies.    Now, serving as Executive Director of Leadnow - a people-powered multi-issue progressive campaigning community, she sees this organization as a much-needed non-partisan opportunity for people to engage with, and strengthen, our democracy.    In this conversation, Sonia shares her ideas about how to build unity around the things that are important to our communities. She talks about how leadership in this moment is about vision building, while making space for civil discourse about the systemic and structural barriers to achieving the just and equitable society we want. Sonia also shares what keeps her hopeful in this moment.     Leadnow: https://www.leadnow.ca/team/    Sonia Theroux: Twitter @soniatheroux    Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

Our guest on this episode is Dr. David Danto, who is the Head of Psychology at the University of Guelph Humber. Dr. Danto's clinical and research interests include Indigenous wellness and culture-based approaches to addressing intergenerational trauma in local and global contexts. David is involved in allyship and decolonization efforts within the discipline and the academy.     Dr. Danto has worked in psychiatric hospitals, counselling centers, private practice, and correctional facilities in Canada and the United States. In partnership with Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, he developed a field course on Indigenous Mental Health, which he has delivered in Mushkegowuk Territory along the James and Hudson Bay coast for the last ten years. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), he recently chaired the CPA Task Force on Responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report, and he currently Chairs the CPA Standing Committee on Reconciliation.    In this episode Sally and Dr. Danto talk about the early experiences and influences that brought David to this work. We also talk about David's work learning alongside his students from the people in the Mushkegowuk territory in Northern Ontario.  David shares his thoughts about how far we have to go toward achieving justice and true reconciliation, and how the first step is to learn the truth of the experience of Indigenous people in Canada and connecting in a spirit of humility and openness with Indigenous people.     "Learning isn't enough. A genocide has happened here. I think there is a growing awareness that is just really beginning. And despite that, there is such a great warmth of spirit, generosity and resilience within the indigenous community, which is, according to some research, one tenth of the population of indigenous people that existed pre contact. That needs to be understood, respected and appreciated."    Resources:     Indigenous Knowledge and Mental Health: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-71346-1    Psychology's Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Report: https://cpa.ca/docs/File/Task_Forces/TRC%20Task%20Force%20Report_FINAL.pdf    Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

In this episode, we hear from the Ontario Nonprofit Network through Executive Director Cathy Taylor, and Policy Advisor Pam Uppal, They share the state of the sector in Ontario, from their most recent surveys and ongoing interactions, and what this means for the ONN's policy priorities. We hear about the important role of looking out for the sector overall and being part of emergent issues.  We also hear about the rise and importance of collaboration across the sector – although nonprofits may compete for funding at one level, they share challenges such as labour and volunteer shortages and a lack of funding that can best be addressed together, as well as coming together to collectively address community-specific issues, as has happened throughout the pandemic.  Of course, we talk about impact and how ONN views the difference it is making.    Overall, ONN hopes this is embraced as a time of transformation, bringing an equity approach to ONN and the sector's work and engraining the key role of nonprofits in our society.    Resources  ONN: https://theonn.ca/   COVID-19: State of the sector one year later: https://theonn.ca/our-work/covid-surveys/   Podcast:  Digging In with ONN - https://theonn.ca/podcast-digging-in-with-onn/   Not-for-Profit Corporations Act: https://www.ontario.ca/page/rules-not-profit-and-charitable-corporations   Nonprofit Resources:  https://nonprofitresources.ca/   . Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca

In this episode, we have a conversation with Leanne Burton, Director, Partnership Development at MakeWay, a public foundation that acts as an intermediary, working between funder and community partners to build healthy pathways towards social, environmental and economic justice.    It's a time of year when people might be thinking more about giving, donating to causes that are important to them.  We've taken an opportunity to chat with Leanne for her thoughts on what to think about as you plan your giving, now and throughout the year – whether as a funder or an individual.      Leanne highlights starting with the issue you care about and the change you want to see, and suggests ways of getting a deeper understanding of that issue and the players.  We talk about trust philanthropy, and the importance of giving "unrestricted" contributions without dictating what the money be spent on, and without onerous expectations for selecting a recipient or for them to report back.  We also talk about ways to look at a nonprofit's impact while they work within a complex, adaptive system.    All this and more, to get you thinking about how to be more intentional, and perhaps more collaborative, in your giving.  Above all, we hope it encourages you to simply give!  Have a listen.    Resources  MakeWay https://makeway.org/   Leanne Burton: https://makeway.org/about-us/team/   Carleton University's Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership: https://carleton.ca/mpnl/   MakeWay Donor Advised Funds: https://makeway.org/solutions/donor-advised-funds/   Government of Canada/CRA List of Charities: https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/hacc/srch/pub/dsplyBscSrch?request_locale=en   The Narwhal: https://thenarwhal.ca/   CANADALAND: https://www.canadaland.com/   CANADALAND's podcast series on WE Charity, The White Saviours:  https://www.canadaland.com/shows/the-white-saviors/   Vancouver Foundation: https://www.vancouverfoundation.ca/   .   Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca